Between Light and Darkness
by Alyna and Iary
Summary: A story of the past, present and especially future. Somewhat AU. Inner SenshiShitennou, Outer SenshiDark Shitennou... a small surprise... R&R! New chapter up!
1. The beginning of the end

We don't own Sailor Moon!

* * *

„I think we should force the entry and just destroy everything we find in our way!" Diamond burst out in anger, in the middle of the council. 

"Diamond, it's a fortress! You don't just barge inside a fortress, escpecially when you don't know what's waiting for you on the other side!" Kunzite started shouting, hoping that maybe Haruka's husband would finally understand and back off his direct plan. Unfortunately for the shitennou's leader, Diamond continued:

"These shadowsians are nothing but some creatures that love to think big! Oh, come on! Don't tell me that you're afraid of these bugs!"

"They're not bugs!" Jeadite tried with no success to keep his voice calm. "Bugs wouldn't be able to build a construction like that so close to our teritorries. Kunzite is right! Until we don't find out more about these creatures, we really should not even get close to those walls."

"I don't believe this! Are you really the shitennou? Those shitennou who had won against so many enemies?" Diamond asked them after a moment of silence. He received immediately his answer. Kunzite burst out in laughter and turned away from the table, shaking his head.

"Don't try that trick on us. It's useless!" Zoicite entered the conversation.

"So, just stop it! Do all of us favour and stop it!" Nephrite asked him while studying several battle plans and mapes.

Watching each and everyone of them in part, Diamond bowed his head, but got up again moments later and left the room, making everyone think that he had finally understood and accepted. Behind the closed doors, the meeting went on without the stubborn dark shitennou.

* * *

"So… what do you think the guys decided?" a curious Mako who was diggind through her closet asked. 

"I don't know… and, come to think of, I don't even care…" Mina mumbled while absently observing two beautiful gold earrings.

"What do you mean you don't care?" Rei's voice turned the calm atmosphere into a volcanic one. At the sound of her voice, Mako got out of the closet, leaving her clothes messed up, and Ami left her book, eyeing both the women from her seat.

"Why should I care, Rei? My fights, our fights have finished a long time ago. Since then, we've all given birth at least once! We're not senshi anymore, we're not soldiers… we are mothers and wifes. Our duties right now should only consider our families." Mina had spoken the words without blinking, her blue eyes staring non-stop into Rei's amethyst ones. She really meant her words and she was indeed planning to stick to her children and husband.

"How can you say that? Yes, we do have families and they are an important part of us, but we still have powers and owths to fulfill considering the protection of the Nine Planet System Alliance!" Rei couldn't help herself and exploded.

"I never said that we don't have powers anymore or that we shouldn't use them… I'm just saying that we should start focusing on some more important things that this solar system.

"Mina…" the martian queen wanted to start, but was fastle cut off.

"Rei, the system will survive with or without us. But our children won't… and right now they need our entire attention and help!" the blonde finished her speech, dropped the two earrings on the floor and left the room and three of her best friend's from within it.

A long perdio of silence followed. Rei had fallen on the king-sized bed, Mako was still in the middle of her closet and Ami was staring outside the large windows, from a big armchair and still holding the book in her hands.

"You think she really meant it?" the tall auburn-haired woman asked and moved in the center of her bedroom, standing tall.

"You heared her…" the brunette could only whisper, unsure if she was going to cry or to kill someone.

"I believe that Mina-chan, being the oldest of us and our leader, has learned in time the there are a great many things more important than the battle. And being the Senshi of Love, she learned them with her heart. She believes in her family more than anything… and I believe in her." Ami spoke, not stopping for even one second to look out the windows. Both Makoto and Rei watched her and they could clearly see tears in her deep blue eyes. That moment, Rei closed her eyelids and appeared to have entered a deep trance. Moments later she came back and stared at her blue-haired friend, who had left the landscape from outside for the two women next to her.

"I feel it too, Ami-chan… I feel that this could be the end for our world…" she whispered and shivers got her entire body.

From behind the closed curtains sitting in between Makoto's bedroom and the living room of her appartment, Haruka was listening quietly… She had heared everything the blonde had said and the conversation afterwards. Inside her, she knew that she was sharing Mina's beliefs, but her senses, as Sailor Uranus, still told her to protect the moon queen before anything else. After having heared the former priestess' prediction, a single tear appeared in the tall, blonde woman's eyes, but vanished as fast as it came.

* * *

"Haruka?" the Senshi of Uranus lifted her eyes to see the silhouette of her former partner and now her best friend. She barely smiled and dropped her head again. "What's wrong Haruka?" the blue-haired woman asked and touched the other one's shoulder with her hand. 

"Michiru… have you ever wondered why we had to fall in love, get married and have children?"

"Haruka…"

"I witnessed today a conversation between our younger friends. Apparently Minako-chan has turned against the others."

"How come?"

"She believes tha right now her and everyone's powers should be used in order to help their children, protect their families… not the whole Alliance. What do you think?" she asked back and gazed at the woman who was standing in front of her, staring into her eyes. Michiru slowly mover next to her and sat down on the bench.

"I consider that our original mission never ended."

"Finding the talismans?" Haruka rose an eyebrow. The blue-haired woman laughed softly, covering her lips with a hand.

"No, protecting and helping in every way we can our leader… and Serenity is that leader."

"So, you don't agree with Minako's opinion?"

"Yes and no… But I do agree that this battle will probably be our greatest and final test."

"Test?" the blonde woman asked, got up and looked suspiciously at the other.

"Yes… now we will see who has changed during these marriage years and who hasn't." At the hearing of the word "marriage", Haruka felt a strong, deep pain inside her chest and acted in consequence, placing a hand ever her heart. "Haruka, Haruka what's happening to you?" Michiru jumped from the bench in panic. When she tried to approached her, the taller woman got away and whispered, while in a great deal of pain, as for herself:

"Diamond, no…" Then she closed her eyes and disappeared from that place, teleporting herself somewhere else.

* * *

Michiru ran as for her life to the main gathering room. She entered like a tsunami, wanting to reach the windows, but getting trapped in Sapphire's arms. 

"Where's Diamond? Where's Haruka? What happened?" she demanded, struggling useless against her husband's arm.

"Michiru, calm down!"

"Why aren't you letting me to the windows? What's happening outside?" she asked scared, with tears already springing from her eyes, but calming down partly.

"Michiru…" Sapphire whispered and hugged her tightly, allowing her head to drop and bury in his dark blue jacket.

"That fool!" Kunzite shouted, amking everyone feel as if the palace itself had shivered at the sound of his strong voice. The first shitennou was together with his friends and allies, right behind the windows from their palace, still not believing what Diamond had done.

"Kunzite, it's not your fault!" You've already done what you could do by explaining him the risks." Zoicite tried at least to calm him down.

"Yeah! And besides… you saw yourself how strong-headed he was about his plan!" Jeadite spoke from next the other blonde general. The two received an icy and angry glare from their leader, who was standing on his feet, on the opposite side of a large table.

"Bottom line is that now, thanks to Diamond…"

"His sacrifice!" the silver-haired man cut Nephrite off.

"His sacrifice, we now know exactly what these shadowsians can and can't do. We can now figure out their weak spots and maybe even destroy them." The auburn-haired explained calm.

"Yes, but that still doesn't justify Diamond's actions!" Kunzite complained.

"He was the one leaving for that black fortress, he was the one taking the samll army, he was the one dieing together with his men and he was definitely the one who saved the day and gave us enough info about out enemies. He's a hero!"

Kunzite broke himself off his place and approached a window, looking again at the battle field several kilometres away, right in front of that black fortress. There, the earth was covered with the dead bodies of Diamond's soldiers and the dieing body of the dark shitennou himself, caught on a black stone and stabbed by many spikes. And the, thorugh the dead ones, his trained eyes caught the image of an alive one.

* * *

"Haruka?" he asked himself, not believing his eyes. 

Apporaching the dark stone with large spikes surrounding it, the Senshi of Sky saw her husband: he was more dead than alive, with his white hair and ripped uniform filled with blood. His contrasting blue eyes caught up her sight and were still looking at her with pride and amusement, no matter in what kind of terrible pains he was. He managed to smile, warmer than usual.

"What are you doing here?" he could barely ask.

"What I am doing here? What are you doing here!" she burst out in anger, but also a terrible amount of sadness could be seen in her eyes. "Why? Why Diamond, why did you do it?" she rose up her tone as a single tear crossed down her cheek… a tear that killed him inside.

"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" he asked jockingly, managing to release an arm and reaching her, erasing that drop from her beautiful face. "Where is that all-mighty and powerful Sailor Uranus that I married?"

"She's still here, hating herself for allowing you to become her greatest weakness!" she fought back.

"She shouldn't… for she is mine and my greatest weakness for decays now." He warmly confessed, talking and behaving in a way that she never considered him capable of. "But I have to go now… and I have to release her, even if it hurts me more than these damn spikes killing my body. Don't worry, my Sky Goddess… I'll be waiting for you… and for our children when their times will come."

"Our children will survive… they are strong and wise… they will survive…" she repeated just like a person who was on the verge of taking the biggest decision in their life. "As for me…" she started determined, with that unstopable will in her eyes and voice. "You won't have to wait at all." And she approached her husband, practicly throwing herself into the spikes exiting his body and stopped only when she got in front of him.

"Haruka!" his voice was drowned. In pain and his eyes in tears. She smiled, ignoring the pain inside all her body and glanced one last time at the palace, where her mind's eyes saw Krystal staring at them, behind him Onix and Opal with sadened and Topaz holding a crying Amara. Haruka's sight returned to her husband. Her arms hugged his torned body tightly, pushing herself even deeper in the spikes. He accepted her sacrifice and held her with his losen arm. He could now see that her beautiful hair and her long, dark blue dress were stained with her blood… their blood. They pressed their lips together and tasted one another's tears for the last time, before their end.

Dieing, their torn bodies vanished and transformed into air, the wind's echo carrying further and further their last owths, a confession formed of three simple words that none of them dared to release during their marriage: "I love you…"

* * *

"Haruka…" Michiru whispered inside the palace, drowned in salty tears. She managed to break away from Sapphire's arms, she ran to the windows and, hitting them, she released a small part of her anger and pain, shouting strongly: "Haruka!" 

The room was filled with the leaders of the Nine Planet System Alliance. In the middle of the floor, Michiru was crying and holding little Amara, who understood what had happened to her parents, but didn't know how to react. Up on his feet, in the middle of the light shitennou, Sapphire was holding Diamond's favourite crystal glass… the glass he always drank his wine from… always. Krystal, Opal and Onix were standing away from everyone, behind them; Krystal was alone with his thoughts, while the twins were sitting acroos the room, with each other, looking at the blue-haired woman who cared so much their mother and for them. Topaz was still away… out in the battle field.

The silence had become heavy and unbearable inside the chamber, even Michiru's cries having calmed down and even stopped. Suddenly, the doors opened and two people enetered. They were soon recognized by the group: Ami and Zoicite had returned to the palace with the very few survivors. Their hands were covered in strange blood and their bodies still clocked in armours for protection.

"That's it! There's no one left alive behind." Zoicite announced them and Kunzite bowed his head in recognition.

"On the way back I contacted Hotaru. She and Rubeus were already on their way here. She said she had felt something was… wrong…" Ami explained dropped her eyes to the floor. Feeling her emotions, the green-eyed, blonde man who happened to be her husband embraced her.

"What about Setsuna and Tokaji?" Nephrite asked from his armchair.

"They surely must know what happened… They'll be here to help us when necessary…" Kunzite answered and almost immediately the sound of breaking glass filled the air. Inconstiently, Sapphire had broken Diamond's glass in his right palm. Without feeling any carnal pain, but with a huge wound in his heart, the black shitennou looked down at his hirt hand, which was bleeding but still carried some shards, the rest being scattered on the floor. His face features remained unchanged, as if he had become a stone sculpture.

Michiru, who was no longer holding Amara, stared at him for a moment, her eyes enlightened by an interior spark. Before one of the ice doctors could react, she got up from her place, toiched his hard hand with hers and, looking into his eyes and viceversa, she pulled him from his place, leading him out of the room. The way to the infirmery led through the main hall. Crossinf it, Sapphire suddenly stopped, at the sight of Haruka's youngest son, Topaz, who had been with Ami and Zoicite out in the field, but was barely now returning. One of his hands carried his father's ancestral sword, while he was going to the room where everyone was gathered, walking absently, absorbed by his thoughts, not noticing anyone and with pain showed on his bowed face.

Realising why her husband had stopped, Michiru pulled his sleeve again and forced him to continue his way.

Entering the infirmery room, the couple ordered everyone inside to leave them. Slowly, Sapphire sat up on a bed, while Michiru arranged a chair in front of him and everything she needed to clean his wounds.

"What's happened to us, Michiru?" he asked staring into the void. Refusing to look elsewhere than at his hand, his wife responded:

"We've gotten out of shape. We thought we could always be the winners… apparently we were wrong…"

"Why did they have to die?" he inquired and saw in her gestures anger and many repressed emotions.

"Haruka and Diamond were always crazy and did at least curious things, both had an unbelievable behaviour which always seemed normal for them. That's why they were perfect for each other, even though none of them recognized it… not even in the day of their wedding." Michiru answered and shivered, ending her work on his hand and feeling the tears reclaiming her eyes and cheeks. However, a moment later she took a deep breath and got a grip. Rising, she finally accepted to look into his eyes.

"You know what we have to do!" he said.

"We don't have to do it… but we will… for our friends, for their memory." She spoke back. He got up and lowered his eyes into the floor. By now, they were very close, almost feeling each other's breaths. Suddenly, Michiru grabbed one of his hands and whispered sweetly: "I will always follow you… no matter where you take me…"

"Because otherwise we would die without one another and we will know that wherever we will be…"

"We will be happy… for we would be together…" She completed his words and smiled. Sapphire's eyes were now calm and filled with love. He lowered his head and his lips met Michiru's for a deep, passionate kiss, that ended barely moments later. Taking her hand, the blue haired man nodded and both of them teleported out of the palace, reaching outside the dark foretress' walls.

* * *

Once with their arrival, the wind turned faster and faster, loosening the woman's hair and and making her shiver underneath her sea-colour dress without sleeves but covering her beautiful neck. She could almost hear Haruka's dead prayers and she was close to almost listening to the whispers lost in the wind, when her husband saved her by drawing his sword and lifting it up in the air. The woman looked at him from behind and admired his entire self one last time Her smile disappeared from her face when she heared him saying: 

"This is for you, Diamond!" Ending his last word, he lowered the sword with speed and strength into the soil in front of the fortress, splitting the ground in two. His weapon, formed of lava and cooled down with water, always seeming to be made of ice, entered the soil and broke it, forming a huge hole right below the fortress. Almost immediately, the dark powers within it started growing and wantng to get outside the walls, to kill them. But the lady f the Seas wouldn't allow them… not yet, anyway.

The blue haired woman rose her hands in the air and started enchanting, calling upon the keepers of waters, receiving her true powers. Moments later she allowed her arms to drop and a terrible silence filled the static air. The quietness was only long enough for her husband to reach and embrace her. Then, suddenly, the Earth started quaking more and more, untila hgue amount of of water burst at the surface, swallowing the dark fortress and the couple who stood outside it's gates. Through the following disaster, Sapphire held tightly his wife, none of them feeling when the water reached their position.

After a while, the two opened their eyes and gained several more minutes of consciousness before their inevitable deaths.

They were still clinging to each other, only this time they were caught in the ground, unable to move, up to their waists.

"That's it!"

"The fortress was destroyed, but we've only managed to force the shadowsians to leave for a small period of time.

"We've bought them some time. Just enough to survive through the battle."

Sapphire smiled warmly, staring into his wife's eyes. She smiled back and spoke up:

"Some might hate us for what we've done…"

"No… maybe for a while… but then they'll undestand the meaning of out sacrifice. And then they will love us once again."

"I'm afraid for our children… what will happen to them… where will they go, what's to become of them?" she asked fightened in his arms, staring at the temporary swamp her waters created. Picturing her twin son and daughter, Sapphire smiled and got a twinkle in his eyes which could tell that their children will manage to survive the battle and to lead further the family heritage. Then, suddenly, in the silence and darkness of the swamp, shouts and lights appeared, coming from two running silhouettes: Cianna and Coral, their beloved twins.

"They are coming for us…" his almost dead voice spoke.

"They aren't the only ones…" she said aslready feeling her body being turned into solid rock. "I'm scared!"

"Don't be!" he begged and managed to hold her as close as her could, smiling warmly to his children and being transformed completely into a satue made of stone.

* * *

"No!" a shout broke out. "Don't go! Don't leave us! Mother! Father! No!" Cianna's voice yelled desperately, while she reached the two embraced statues and embraced them with tears down her cheeks. Her face was red from running and she breathing hard. Behind her, looking down at the scene, was standing on his feet her twin brother, Coral, with pain showing all over his face. But he couldn't react any other way than staring at his sister and stoned parents, while squeezing his blue sword, whose shape reminded somewhat of the sign of Neptune.

* * *

Their kingdom belonged between skies and surface, beyond the normal limits of space and time. Their palace held the misteries and the controls of life. Their reign was about everything and nothing. 

It was a very tall room, endless we might say, considering there wasn't any ceiling… or walls… or maybe even a consistent floor… People couldn't reach this place… only the royals were allowed and accepted by the forces as their rightful leaders.

The king stepped on large pieces of black and white marble, put together to create a huge chess board. In the middle of the room, a distorsion in time and space was held continuously by the queen, who stood in front of a large mirror, a window to Earth, through which she could see what was going on down there. He came behind her and watched the scenes inside the mirror, seeing how the leaders of Neptune were transformed into two lifeless stones.

"It's sad… so sad." the queen whispered,

"How many must die for you to understand?" the king asked with anger in his voice. At the eharing of his question, she signaled the mirror, making it disappeare and ending the distortion. She turned around to her husband and sent him an icy look.

"You know our mission. We must not interfere… not yet!"

"Why? Because some obscure future self of yours ordered you to?"

"No! Because that future self was me! Nothing was changed and you can't argue that!

"Setsuna!"

" I don't want to hear it, Tokaji!" she said angrily and vanished into thin air, leaving him alone in the "hall". For a moment he remained still, but then signaled and the mirror reappeared, this time showing Cianna and Coral standing next to their parents' grave.

* * *

"Tara…" she heared her name and opened her eyes slowly, getting used to the light outside. Searching around her room she suddenly saw her mother, standing turned away from her, looking out the window. Tara knew that her mother had spoken her name, though her lips hand't moved and her voice hadn't filled the room. From her bed, the young girl stared puzzled at her mother's silhouette. A moment later, the woman turned around to her daughter and said four simple words that have always shaken the world: 

"The revolution is coming." That moment, Tara re-lived her mother's memories, every time when, as a reborn child or even already grown senshi, she had spoken those words.

"Mother?" Tara got out of bed and approached her, still not understanding, when the door to her room oepned and her father entered, appearing to be in a hurry.

"Have you told her?" he asked, glancing at his wife.

"Not everything!" she responded.

"I can feel disorder within the solar system, but I can't explain it." The teenager interrupted the two. "What is it?"

"Hotaru, you have to tell her!"

The saturnian stared at her husband decided and finally, after a few moments, nodded in acceptance. Puzzled, the girl glanced at both, trying to figure out what it was that they were hiding from her.

"The Guardians of Uranus and Neptune died."

"Amara… Cianna… Coral… Krystal…" Tara mumbled pacing the room, not believing her ears.

"We have to go on Earth and help them." The man said.

"Rubeus!" We're not taking her with us!" Hotaru glared at him.

"Hotaru, she's old enough and we all could use her powers. She's strong enough." Before the Senshi of Rebirth could answer, her daughter spoke up.

"Listen to him, mother! He's right!" That moment, the saturnian queen stared at her child and could almost see her aura fully-grown, already capable to wheel powerful forces. Sighing, she nodded and accepted her daughter to join them in their quest.

Half an hour later, the young heiress exited her chambers and met her parents in the palace's hall, all set and ready to go. Destination: Earth.

Before starting the teleporting, young Tara looked at her parents, noticing once again that they seemed greater than the old gods from their mythology. Her mother had very long hair, reaching down her ankles, black inessence but with shades of purple. Same went for her eyes, appearing as if made of amethyst and onix. She had on a purple dress, allowing her body's features to be well noticed. The dress had no sleeves and a deep cleavage. She carried the sign of Saturn incadrated by a jewel up on her forehead and two bracelets made of black jewels, on the right wrist and left arm. Her whole outfit was covered by a long, dark coloured cape.

Her father, on the other hand, was dressed as if he was going to a simple hunt and not to a war. He had on abrown leather costume, formed of a pair of thight trousers, clinging over hunting boots, and a jacket covering a sleeveless shirt. The entire outfit showed off his body constitution and his muscles. His read hair was messy, as usual, giving him the look of a young man between his teenage years and the twenties, ready to do some scams.

Tara smiled to both of her parents and, suddenly, they all disappeared from the main hall of the saturnian palace.

* * *

"Father!" Tokaji heared his apelative, closed the time portal he was looking through and turned to see his eighteen year-old son, standing in front of him. 

"Tristan?"

"Is it true that you've known for some… time now about the wars and deaths on Earth?" his son's voice sounded angry.

"Yes." He confessed.

"Then why haven't you reacted!" Tristan burst out. "Two of the Senshi are dead, along with two of the Dark Shitennou!"

"I wanted to! But your mother stopped me!" Tokaji explained the situation. "You know how she gets after she receives a message from the future…" he continued on a smaller tone. Partly, Tristan understood and his glare softened. Few moments, the two sat in silence, until trsitan noticed something weird in his father's constience.

"You know who will die next." He concluded, looking at him as if he was a traitor. Then, the young man's eyes widened in surprise… a painful surprise and his voice whispered harshly: "Tara!" The next moment, his body disappeared from the timeless palace, teleporting himself to Earth, in order to stop his love from dieing.

* * *

The three reached the Earth and came out from the portal Rubeus had created somewhere in the fields outside the palace. In front of them, the great capital of the Nine Planet System Alliance could be seen in all it's greatness: filled with busy and prosperous people, living in peace and trusting the royal family leading them. Hotaru's sign appeared brightly on her forehead, as she felt the powers concentrated within the palace's walls. Indeed, the auras of Uranus and Neptune were missing, as well as Pluto's. However, at a closer look, she saw the city almost entirely empty, saddened and weakened. 

"Something is wrong!" she Senshi of Rebirth said and they all turned around, feeling another presence. Behind them, they actually saw the spikes that killed Diamond and Haruka, sapphire and Michiru's grave in fron of the ruins that once were forming the shadowsian fortress. But above everything, they saw the black force remained behind. The whole sky, land and horizont were darkened by this appearance, this being. Suddenly, the blackened energy formed a shape filled with power, ready to blast away and kill the saturnian royal family. However, the three vanished intot hina ir, and reappeared in front of it, at the same height, winning against the force of gravity. Hotaru and Rubeus were closer, while Tara was "flying" behind them, standing at a safe distance. Surprised, but annoyed in the same time, the force formed a smaller ball, which got bigger and bigger in less than a second, blowing up and sending the three further away in the atmosphere.

Knowing where they were supposed to land and die, Hotaru formed in her hand the Silence Glaive and her shout quaked the entire surface:

"Silence Wall!" It was a very old attack, but nonetheless one that she could rely on, when it came to bulding strong shields around herself… or her family, in this case. The three stopped from their trajectory and repositioned themselves.

"Alright, time to act!" Rubeus spoke up with fire in his eyes and a wicked smirk showed up on hid face. Up in the air, he formed a sphere of his own power, seeming to be built out of an infinite number of long and sharp shards or knifes, and sent it directly into the source, or what remained of it after the sacrifices of Uranus and Neptune. The shards did serious damage, forcing a loud sound out of the darkness, like a defeated shout.

"How dare you try to vancuish my presence from this palace?" an impersonal, inhuman voice shook the atmosphere and filled the saturnians' ears. Rubeus widened his eyes and remained shocked. Hotaru got a hold of herself, but not before signaling Tara to go even further behind. The shadowsian leader was constient and could communicate with the exterior world.

"How dare you intrude our world and interfere with our lives?" Saturn shouted back, regaining her confidence.

"I am here to give you all eternity! You should be thankful that we have arrived here to cherish your souls…"

"We do not need to live forever, we just need these lives!" Rubeus spoke with dignity, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, I want your eternity and you cannot stop me! The voice shouted and quaked the earth again. Spinning the Glaive in her hands, Hotaru pointed it at the center of the darkness and spoke up, revealing all the royalty flowing through her veins.

"In that case, I see no other solution that to chase you away from our eternity… by sacrificing myself!"

"Hotaru!" Rubeus spoke and she glanced at him, to see him ready to protest against her decision. Behind her, Tara hadn't reacted at all. Inside Hotaru a feeling of accomplishment and joy grew: her daughter knew what it meant to the Soldier of Death and Rebirth. She ahd been well taught. Now, only she had to received her entire power in order to become the true leader of Saturn and a worthy Senshi.

"Wait! Maybe we could understand each other!" the voice claimed at the sight of the deadly weapon. The two husbands exchanged yet another rglance: this time they were both aware of the traps this proposal could hide. Therefor, they both got ready to attack at any moment.

"What are you suggesting?"

"You are very powerful enemies… you could be even more powerful allies."

"Us, but who are we? Do you at least know that?" Rubeus asked in mockery.

"The leaders of Saturn. You are the Senshi of Death and Rebirth" it spoke to Hotaru, "and you are one of the black shitennou, general of unseen forces." It spoke to Rubeus.

"Right… and that makes you?" Hotaru asked on the same tone as her husband, earlier.

"We are Ankhra, the evil in charge with the shadowsian force…"

"A demon…" Tara's voice was ehared form behind.

"An ancient demon." Rubeus completed.

"Well then, tell me demon, why are you so sure that we will change side minutes after we've defended ourselves in front of your attacks and after we've attacked you ourselves?" Tara asked, proving her heritage.

"Smart lady… very well, we shall humour you and answer the question. Because, even thought you haven't shown it already, we felt the powers you hold inside. You are strong and there aren't many with your kind of gifts in this system… on this planet.

"What will this conversion be exactly?

"Pardon us?"

"It means what we will have to give up and what we will receive instead." The man explained annoyed.

"You will receive part of our powers, just enough to complete your forces and assure us of your loyalty."

"For what price?" Tara's voice sounded ice-cold.

"All the connections with this world cut, of course, and complete obeyance to us…" As soon as the voice ended, Hotaru's eyes widened and looked up at Rubeus, who was puzzled by the proposal. Few moments of silence followed. "Well, what will your answer be?" Rubeus burst out in laughter and added:

"You really must be joking! What in the world makes you think we willa ctually help you destroy our home?"

"Should we take that as a no?" the voice sounded angry.

"Judge for yourself!"

"Are you sure there isn't any other way for us to persuade you?"

"Like?" Hotaru asked worried and ready to react.

"Like threatening you with the loss of one very important thing to you… or person…" the voice said and the two realised after few seconds what the creature was talking about. They turned around from the darkness in the same time. But it was too late: long and sharp vines appeared from the earth, somewhere below and grabbed tightly the saturnian heir.

"Tara!" Hotaru yelled.

"Pandora!" Rubeus shouted aswell, as they both moved towards their daughter, who was pulled under the ground and bruised. Before her parents could reach her, a strong wave shook the entire ground and air, a loud whisper filling the atmosphere:

"Death Voice…" A wave passed the two and Rubeus couldn't wait anymore and moved into the ground. When he exited the cloud of dust created, his daughter was holding onto his neck. She was bruised and cut, but she was alive and partly well. Rubeus took her up, where she allowed her to embrace her mother. The moment the two touched, a strong violet light came out, surrounded them and pointed directly into the darkness, towards where the voice could be heared.

When the two came apart they expected to see the darkness vanished. Instead, they saw in front of them Rubeus, fighting against the vines, but with his left foot already caught. He had been protecting them from the long tentacles.

"Rubeus!" Hotaru's shout broke the silence. She swirled the Glaive again and pointed it at the black sphere. But before she could attack, the vines reached her, stole the Glaive away and kept her tightly.

"Mother! Father!" Tara yelled as she was surrounded by the tentacles and found herself pulled down again. This time, she couldn't find the power to fight back. She felt her body being dragged down and she could only reach out an arm in the direction of her trapped parents. Tara was ready to close her eyes and accept her destiny, when she felt herself being caught by another hand… a strong hand. Her eyes opened and rose up, to see the plutonian heir holding her, trying to get her out of the spikes.

"Tristan, you'll get caught too. Go away!" Tara almost begged him.

"I'm not leaving you behind, Pandora!" he fought back with jaws clentched. Feeling that he couldn't pull that strongly without his powers, Tristan moved his left hand, gestured something and revealed his powers of time. After the attack, the vines were supposed to be trapped in time. But there were many surprises still kept by the shadowsian force. One of them was they imunity against time and space breaches.

"The attack didn't affect them!" Tara said frightened, staring with scared eyes at the tentacles holding her.

"Hold on!" the plutonian said, holding even stronger, not realising where he got his strength from. The vines had become very painful for both the teenagers and Tara almost lost her consciousness. Feeling that he was losing her, Tristan shouted again, trying to wake her up: "Pandora! Pandora!" He almost lost her hand from his, when, suddenly, small shard surrounded them and cut all the vines holding the girl's body. Tristan pulled her up and held her body into his arms, the girl already being inconstient. He looked up to see Rubeus. The father had managed to free his arms and to attack one last time, thus saving them.

"Get her out of here! Go!" he shouted and the plutonian didn't hesitate. He opened a space portal and both of them vanished from Earth.

"You refused out offer! Now you will have an eternity to think at your msitake!" Ankhra's voice was heared one last time.

"It's never a msitake to do the right thing…" Hotaru whispered. But her body was already held in the spikes, surrounded by a violet light. Her energy was taken from her, along with all her powers. Turning asied, she saw Rubeus in the same position as her. Smiling weakly to her, he tried to rher closer. She smiled back and tried to reach him too. But when their hands were an inch apart, the vines moved and kept them away from each other. When the vines stopped, the two were spiritually and mentally dead, with their bodies still alive and feeding the dark force with energy.

* * *

"That's it! I'm going out there!" Kunzite said, straightening his uniform and arranging his weapons. 

"No… Kunzite, wait!" Mina shouted behind him and ran to his position.

"Minako, you've seen what happened with Diamond and Sapphire. And if Rubeus and Hotaru's energy will get to sustain the shadowsian force, it will be unstopable!" Kunzite shouted angrily, walking even faster.

"If you go like this, unprepaired, you'll die!" mina forced him to stop and look at her, "I don't want you to die… Your children don't' want you to die!" she spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Minako…" he whispered, softening his tone and sighted. "I won't die… I can promise you that. Your love and our children's love will keep me alive." He said, kissed her and left behind. He would gather his army and start a war against the shadowsians. It was time for the fate of the Alliance and their lifes to be settled.

Walking through the hallways, prepairing the guards and soldiers, Kunzite suddenly woke up face to face with Tokaji.

"Greetings, leader of the light shitennou!" he spoke calmy. Surprised of his salute, Kunzite rose his eyebrow.

"Ok… this is weird… No more "whazzups"?"

"Funny…" Tokaji answered sarcastic. "I'm here for the heirs of Uranus and Neptune."

"Ok… but what's with the attitude?"

"New times have come… it's time for some changes… including attitude ones."

"Krystal is in his parents' room and Coral somewhere in the armury." Kunzite directed him and resumed his way, without a single extra word.

"Kunzite!" Tokaj stopped him again. Sighing, the general turned around and looked at the plutonian's back. "Be careful, Kunzite! The time has come for you to face your future and to make the ultimate choice: good or evil?" the shitennou asked and disappeared as if decomposing himself into air molecules.

The king of Venus remained still for a while, thinking at his friend's warning. When one of the royal family of Pluto made a prophecy it always fulfilled. Tokaji had seen something and came on Earth to warn him. He had to be very careful in the future battle.

* * *

Without being noticed by anyone, Tristan reappeared on Pluto and managed to sneak inside the palace. In his arms, he held Pandora, daughter of Saturn. 

Silently, he entered the library in which he had spent months and years, reading and training his brain and powers.

Gently, he approached the set of couches and armchairs inside and he laid down the dear burdain he had been carrying, allowing her to continue her deep sleep, in the crimson light surrounding them.

He sat on the couch next to her and discovered that he just couldn't stop staring at her: her wounded and inert body was dressed in tight black trousers, ending with a pair of tall red sandals, with laces of the same material caught around her legs and partly covered by a black, mid-thies long and tight jacket, which covered her neck, her entire arms and forearms, leaving only her hands visible. Up, on the the couch's pillow, her long red hair, also containing several violet highlights was stretching and even falling onto the floor.

Looking down at her face features, Tristan admired her pale skin, her long eye-lashes, which hid at the moment a pair of blue eyes, and even the small amethyst stone pierced in her nose.

When his sight returned to her closed eyes, his hand reached out to hers and his healing power kicked in, making her wounds disappeare. After only few seconds her eyes opened and the two stared at each other, remaining unomved in that sunset light. Tristan's eyes were worried for her, Tara's eyes were sad for what had happened to her parents.

"Why did you save me?" she asked with a huge amount of pain in her voice, almost ripping out the heart of the teenager who kept on healing her.

* * *

Even though only the Earth royals were living during the entire year in the palace, the castle had been built with special rooms and places, kept for all the senshi and their counterparts. 

In the arranged basement were the huge training rooms of Uranus and Jupiter and the pool of Neptune, On the first level the precious library of Mercury and the flower garden of Venus and on the second floor the mirror hall of Pluto and Saturn, along with the beatiful ballroom of Neo-Queen Serenity. Right outside the palace, in the labirinth park, there was another construction, tall, completely made of wood in old japanese style. It was Mars' temple, her own place of refuge, during the journeys on this planet.

Right after Diamond and Haruka died, Rei entered the temple and refused to leave until she had answers for her questions. Staring at the wild fire, deep in her trance, Rei started having a vision… in was a powerful one. Step by step, she saw the deaths of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn… and Jupiter? Her eyes widened in fear and a hand places on her shoulder woke her up, scaring the hell out of her.

"Jeadite! What the hell are doing!" the dark haired fire queen burst out as the flames behind her reached the ceiling.

"Wanting to make sure you're atill alive?" he asked an a small tone, giving her an angelic smile.

"In the middle of my visions!"

"You've been in here for hours!" he spoke up, getting back his force and stopping his mockery tone, while the priestess' fire calmed down and regained it's normal proportions. "So, what's the verdict?" At his question, her eyes sadened and stared at the floor. "Rei, what's going on?" he asked concerned. "Rei?" by now Jeadite was standing next to his wife, with his arms around her.

"Mako… Nephrite…" she whispered, turned around and stared into his eyes. "Jupiter is next!" But she didn't get to finish her words when an explosion not far from the city was heared.

"We have to go to Endymion… now!" he said staring to where the xplosion was and getting out of the temple, pulling Rei with him.

* * *

"That last one was close!" Zoicite announced staring at several screens. 

"Where's Kunzite?" Nephrite showed up next to him.

"I don' t know, he disappeared hours ago and right now I only get shadowsian trails."

"Could he be trapped?"

"Neph, I'm sure we would have found out something byn now… I think he's still fighting…" Zoicite answered and gave him a weird look. "Do the stars give you some clues?"

"It's cloudy day…" the auburn-haired said.

"You're kidding!"

"Yeah… let's just say that the stars prefer remaining quiet… at least for the time being…" Nephrite said a bit irritated.

"What's the status?" King Endymion spoke as he entered with Serenity clinging on his arm and the guardians of Mars surrounding them. Behind them Makoto and Ami followed closely.

"The shadowsian movement is getting closer by the minute and still no sign of Kunzite!" Zoicite reported.

"They'll soon get in the city… and once entered they'll reach the palace!" Mako noticed, staring in the horizon. Ami looked at her jovian friend with frightened eyes. Then, she suddenly took a deep breath and her sight became determined. Turning around, the mercurian spke to the Earth royals:

"Serenity, Endymion, you must leave this place now!" the two leaders stared at her with puzzled faces. "If the city in conquered, it'll become a death trap!"

"Ami! Kunzite is out there!" Zoi spoke, not realising that Minako had just showed up. "He would rather die than let those evil creatures reach us!"

"Zoi!" Ami warned him for saying too much when Mina left the room as fast as she entered it. Smiling shily, the blonde-haired general rose his shoulders, apologizing somewhat to his wife.

"Nevertheless, Ami is right!" Nephrite stood tall, returning to the original subject.

"Kunzite is out there… I can't leave any friends behind!" the king motivated his denial.

"We're not just friends, Sire!" the auburn-haired general used his title specially. "We're soldiers born and raised to save you and the kingdom." A tough silence fell inside the room and the noises of the war going on outside the city's walls could be heared loudly.

"So, for once listen to our advices and get hell out of here!" the jovian queen forced the others to stare at her, not believing her words. The only one without a terrified look was her husband, who was smiling gently, having hoped that she would say something like that to their friends. "All of you!" she shouted again, almost commading them.

"Mako-chan!" Serenity called her by her old name with tears in her eyes, wanting to run in the amazon's arms, but being stopped by her husband's strong arm. After one pleading look, full-aware that the two would never back down, Endymion nodded gravely and got out of the room, pulling a crying Serenity after him. In silence and obedience, the mercurian couple followed. At the first glance maybe the two would have seemed cold and distant, but you could almost hear Zoicite's fast pulse and see the tears from the bluenette's eyes. Behind remained the martians. Rei and Jeadite exchanged a look, after which the blond general turned to his old friend, smiled brightly and grabbed his hand tightly, shaking it one last time.

"Have a good journey, my friend!"

"May us meet again when this is all over!" Nephrite wished aswell.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of the children…"

"Ok, Rei-chan, you're killing me…" the amazon almost begged the fire priestess to loosen the arms holding around her neck. "At this rate I won't have to wait for the shadowsians to kill me!" Hearing her words, the miko let go and stared angrily at her, with tears drowning her red cheeks.

"Don't even dare say that! You hear me, Makoto Kino? I order you not to die!" she burst.

"I'll try, Rei-chan!" the jovian smiled playfully. After one last shared look, the two couples broke apart, Jeadite and Rei leaving Nephrite and Makoto behind, alone in the evacuated palace and, soon, entire city.

One hour after their friends' departure, dark beings filled the streets and buildings of Crystal Tokyo. Looking through the widnows from the council room, the brown-haired woman could see the hell outside. Turning away from the view, she saw her husband sharpening his stellar sword. So she took her long lance from the table and undid it in two different weapons, each one carrying a thunder at one edge. Nephrite had finished his task, meantime, and was now standing in front of her. Several moments of silence fell between them, until a very loud bang was heared inside the palace, at the ground level.

"Showtime…" the genral whispered and the two left the room, getting ready to destroy every shadowsian standing in their way.

* * *

It was a large battle field, reaching almost the horizon. The sky had long lonst it's once bright colour and was now carrying heavy dark clouds, making it impossible for the travelers to know if it was night or day. The only sound heared in the thick atmosphere was the trrifying whistle of the wind. Only death and unfulfillment were left on the battle field, along with the blood of thousands of soldiers. 

Minako stepped on the frozen ground, frightened of what she saw in front of her. No other war she had ever seen was as atrocious and horrible as this one. The view Mina saw was more than bareable. The Love Goddess stopped to see the dark force killing them very close to Kunzite, but a bit behind him. He had remained the only one alive in that cemetery and was standing as a block of ice, with cuts and bruises all over his body, with his shield and sword broken, on the ground, in front of him. He felt her getting close and he could almost feel her breath behind him, but refused to react just yet.

"When I heared about Uranus, Saturn and Neptune I knew it must have been bad… but this is more that I can bare…" he heared her voice sounding like a whisper. Turning to her, he could see that she was not by his side, but fallen on her knees onto the ground. Her hair more loosen than caught in the usual bun, her clothes already with stains on them, her eyes somewhat broken inside… her whole being almost defeated spiritually.

Feeling his sight locked onto her, she rose her head, stared directly at her husband and saw loss and devastation. He was as lost as her. Finally, she moved a bit aside and touched his left leg, almost clinging to his trousers as if they were a salvation boat in the middle of an ocean.

Then, suddenly, the clouds in the sky lowered and some turned into a giant dark ball of energy, right in front of the two, who were now staring at the entity.

"Greetings, venusian leaders… I am Ankhra… the shadowsian commander and I have a bussiness proposal for you." The same impersonal voice that had tried to trick Rubeus and Hotaru started it's speech.

* * *

And this is where it ends... for now! Some may already know how this fanfic begins, so please bare with us. We wanted to start it again and so we re-posted on our already existent account (therefor, you find it under the pen name of "illenutza" anymore). So please, for any suggestions send us a review or an e-mail ;) Probably there will a longer Note in the next chapter containing the couples and the children (quite a few as you've already noticed). But, until next time, enjoy... 


	2. When shadows grow long

Hey there, we're back…. Yeah I know…. Not again! Well tought luck! Cuz' we're back….AGAIN! And we still don't own Sailor Moon… damn!

As promised, here a list containing the pairings for this fanfiction (and the children :P):

Ami / Zoicite : Zander, Zane, Amelie (Astrid)

Rei / Jeadite : Jaden and Rhy (Rhyanna)

Makoto / Nephrite : Nathaniel, Nicholas, Noah, Momoko (Litany)

Minako / Kunzite : Kenta (Malachite) and Maya (Celeste)

Haruka / Diamond : Krystal, Opal & Onix (twin brothers), Topaz, Ruka (Amara)

Michiru / Sapphire : Coral (Ral) and Cianna (Mika) (twins)

Hotaru / Rubeus : Tara (Pandora)

Setsuna / Tokaji (an unusual version of Dr. Tomoe) : Tristan

As some of you probably noticed, Tristan and Tara are pretty much the eldest children and therefor will form a couple . We're not yet sure of the others, but those two pigeons were destined for each other :P.

As for the names in brackets (...), those will appear especially during the next chapters when... well, things will change... don't worry, you'll see ;)

Ok, done for now! Enjoy...

* * *

"Nephrite, get down!" the amazon queen shouted to her king. As he ducked, her thunders destroyed another group of dark beings. Immediately after ending he job, she saw him, on the floor, calling out for his powers and pointing his hands to her. Fastly, she jumped out of the way, allowing him to save her in the same way she had. After exchanging a quick smile, they resumed the battle, doing their best in emptying the palace of the remaining beasts. This routine was now going for over five hours and the couple was already turning exhausted and bored. 

Finally, after passing through a shield formed of shadowsians, the two managed to reach the ballroom… pretty much the center of the palace. Entering it, Npehrite admired once again it's beauty, while making one last prevision:

"They're coming! This will be their point of origin if we don't do something… and fast!" he said, not very scared for his life, but for the safety of his family… including Makoto, who had stubbornly remained by his side.

"We'll be ready." The queen of Jupiter spoke up very determined to have everything her way. Having noticed her attitude, he could only smile. Her green eyes pierced his blue ones and her lips curved into a smile aswell. In silence they approached one another and their lips met for one last kiss. However, unfortunately for them, faster than expected, 2 huge tentacles appeared out of nowhere and pulled them apart. Luckily, the two managed to keep close by grabbing their arms and not allowing the strong arms to break them away from each other.

"Mako… don't let go!" Nephrite pleaded in pain as he felt loosing her hand.

"That'll be the last thing I do in this life!" she assured him angrily and tried to free herself, with no luck though. In response, the force wheeling the two arms made them squeeze the two hard, the queen and king of Jupiter leaving a cry of pain simultaneously. After that, the two tried to recover and on the woman's forehead the sign of her planet appeared involuntarily, while the light shitennou's eyes turned almost silvery.

"This is the end, my love!" the general said one last time to his sweetheart. "Never forget me!"

"I love you!" the senshi whispered back as her electrical powers came down to her.

In a matter of seconds, the lightnings of Jupiter and the powers of stars from everywhere combined, creating one huge explosion, olbiterating the palace from the face of the earth and even revesing gravity in some parts. Minutes later, when the dust settled… two silhouettes could be seen floating in the air with no more life inside. The two eladers of Jupiter had lst their lifes while defending the city and the palace, but had managed to almost completely destroy the shadowsian army.

* * *

"May their souls always portect our Earth up from the high heavens that they deserve!" Rei whispered as she looked at the dead buildings and at the two lovers, now being turned into two bright stars and lifted in the dark sky, their light being the only one capable to blast right through the black clouds brought by Ankhra. 

The fire priestess had spoken from one of the hills surrounding the Earth's capital. She had just shed her last tear in the memory of the auburn-haired amazonian queen and wa snow returning to the path followed together with Jeadite, Ami, Zoicite, Serenity, Endymion and their children.

* * *

"What are they doing?" a very little blonde girl asked an older boy who was hiding behind several crystal rocks together with her. 

"I don't know… but I'm not having a good feeling about this!"

"Should we go down there?" the girl eyed him with a pair of big blue orbs. Lavender ones stared back at her.

"Maya, don't!" he practically ordered her.

"Malachite, who do you think you are to command me?"

"Your older brother! Now keep quiet!" he silenced her and looked again at the battle field, where their parents were about to destroy and save the Nine Planet System Alliance.

* * *

"Leave us alone! Let us be! You've proven your superiority… Now leave!" Kunzite's mind answered back to one of the requests Ankhra had asked previously asked, but his body remained still, not showing the mental conflict he was engaged in. Next to him, still on the solid ground, Mina was clinging onto his thy and hand, somehow feeling the choices he was tempted to make, unwillingly though. 

"Come to me! You'll receive all the recognition and power you deserve! You'll have everything you wanted!" the dark voice whispered.

"Everything?" the light shitennou's mind asked, unbelievingly, and his eyes glanced down out of reflex to meet the scared and begging blue gaze of his wife.

Having noticed his movement, Ankhra suddenly knew how to work out the situation in his favour. The following moment, thousands of whispers could be heard all around inside the general's mind, some forcing, some begging and some tempting him to take the deal… to make the pact with the shadowsian leader.

"You can take her too… She'll be yours… only yours… always… You've always wanted an eternity to spend with her… I can give you that eternity…" a voice rose above all the others and Kunzite could feel Mina painfully squeezing his hand. Staring down at her he realised how much he still loved and wanted her… and now… after witnessing his friends' deaths and the destruction of his world, he realised that she was all he had left.

By now, Aphrodite had unshedded tears inside her sapphire blue eyes.

* * *

"The entrance to Cerber's Labyrinth! It's been a while since I've last seen it!" Zoicite spoke up, after reaching two old gates, with ancient sculptures on them. Behind those gates laid Cerber's Labyrinth, and beyond that, the entrance to Elysion, the perfect world made of the terrans' dreams and guarded by Pegas or Helios, the Golden Crystal's keeper. 

"It's our only escape, as well!" Jeadite came next to his friend. Worry and tiredness could be seen clearly on his features.

"What's up with you?" the green-eyed general asked, while checking out the entire room before opening their way.

"I don't think this whole situation is suitable for the children. They are too young to enter Elysion."

"It's the only way… But my psychology skills tell that's not all!" Zoicite encouraged him to go on.

"I've just seen friends of a lifetime being killed by something none of us could defeat, how would you expect me to react?" the blonde asked angrily.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… That's not it either!" the curly-haired said and received a deadly glare, but also a straight answer.

"Kunzite is missing for a very long time now… We have no idea how the battle went and he hadn't reported back… not even now… Not to mention that after your little speech about our fearless leader's experiences in the council room, Minako vanished into thin air as well." Suddenly the scientist stopped from his work as if just having discovered something.

"You know, Maya and Kenta aren't riding back with the others." He turned to his friend and the two changed a wondering and concerned look, but didn't have time to change words for their wives, the royal couple and all the inner senshi's children (excepting for the Venusians) entered the large hall, preparing themselves for the last part of their was to Dreamworld.

As they were making their way inside the labyrinth, Ami stopped at the entrance, with her eyes locked on the display screen of her small computer. Several moments later she looked up and stared at her husband with decisive eyes. Understanding what she was trying to communicate him, he nodded and waited in silence for the children and parents to enter the hallways. After Jeadite and Rei finished the line, Zoicite moved fastly, not allowing the martians to understand his actions until after his deeds were done.

"Zoi… what are you…?" the short-haired general walked back to the gates, but got cut off by the doors that were being sealed loudly, separating the mercurian couple from the others. After having frozen and sealed the large doors, Ami remained silent and still for a moment, sustaining her husband's questioning sight.

"Something bad had just happened and the children really had to reach Elysion."

* * *

"Kunzite… don't!" Mina whispered harshly, but her words were cut off by the appearance of a large dark energy sphere… just like the one who had ordered the attack on their capital and the deaths of Hotaru and Rubeus. But her husband wasn't looking at her anymore, but at the force in front of them, deciding upon his fate, his wife's and the entire world's. "Is that what you really want?" the senshi of Love asked, having felt his thoughts and emotions. He barely nodded and she understood and accepted the change of fate he wanted for both. Suddenly, his eyes got locked on her again and his hand reached out for hers. 

"It's time to go to hell, baby!" he pleaded and waited for her to make up her mind. It didn't take a long time for that and she held tightly his fingers, allowing his strength to pull her up, next to him.

"Hell is only the place I am without you!" she spoke back and the two embraced, waiting for the b lack tide of energy to surround and transform them into the traitors and the saviours of the Nine Planet System Alliance.

* * *

"No!" Maya shouted as she exited her hide, while staring at her two parents on the edge of changing sides. From behind her, Kenta appeared and grabbed her before running to the them, on the battle field. Struggling in her brother's arms, the young venusian started crying and barely managed to speak up: "Why! Why are they betraying us? Why won't they just go back to Venus? Why can't we be like we used to?" 

"Sh, Celeste! I'm sure they had their reasons and that they'll return for us and for our previous lives one day!" the elder boy spoke as he finally managed to embrace his little sister, wanting to calm her down. In the end, she stopped fighting and accepted his arms around her, realising that the big brother and that he would know the best, always. Maya wrapped two tiny arms around his neck and held on as tight as her strength could allow her to. Somehow, feeling that someone was staring at them, she opened widely her eyes and saw a space and time portal opening right behind them.

"Malachite!" she shouted, in order to warn him. But it was too late! Before they knew it, they were already sucked inside the gate, travelling centuries away from that moment.

* * *

Typing fastly on her small computer, the Queen of Mercury found that the entities coming their way had discovered their location and were now heading directly for her and her husband. 

"They're heading this way!" she announced.

"Don't you think we should leave the gates… just to make sure they'll have a hard time finding them?"

"You're right… but if my readings are correct… that won't do any good."

"How come?"

"I'm picking up dark energies… but the signals match ones that only senshis would have.

"Traitors?" Zoicite asked, a bit scared, thinking at the chat he had earlier had with Jeadite. Ami stared at him and slightly nodded. "Come on… lets' get further away!" he mumbled and wanted to leave, when a voice stopped him.

"I don't think that'll do!" Zoicite turned around and saw a tall man, with shoulder-length black hair, and only the ends silvery. He was dressed in a completely black tuxedo and had a long cape to match it. The clothes were forcing his white hair's ends and lavender eyes to step out.

"Kunzite…" the blonde general spoke, not believing his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"The right thing… for once!" he answered and touched his silver sword, still keeping it inside the shield though.

"This is impossible! No royal can betray his own…" Ami spoke up and made herself noticed.

"You're wrong for once, Mercury…" a feminine voice answered back and out from the shadows exited the one who once used to be Sailor Venus, the senshi of Love.

"Mina…" Ami whispered and looked at her black hair carrying only several blonde lashed and at the black tight outfit she wore, showing all the curves her beautiful body had.

"I'm sorry, old friend… but I have to!" she spoke back, staring intensely at the ice queen with eyes that hadn't changed their colour. Understanding her sight, Mercury barely nodded and attacked her former best friend, while Kunzite and Zoicite were starting a duel to the death.

"Kunzite … what the hell are you doing!" the curly-haired man asked while defending himself against a crazy attack coming from this new, yet well-known man.

"What I should have done ever since the shadowsians appeared and Diamond killed himself, trying in vane to destroy Ankhra.

"It wasn't in vain! Thanks to his sacrifice we found out exactly what we were messing with!"

"But that didn't do any good, now did it?" he asked and continued fighting like a mad man.

"At least not for us it didn't! But tell me, what will happen to your children? Maya and Kenta… have you at least thought about them?"

"You dare to ask that? You, who just sealed you children in a dream world? You, you dare to ask that!" he burst out and the two swords collided, creating a loud noise.

"Mina, why are you doing this?" Ami pleaded while running around the cave, hiding from the former blonde and still tapping on her small computer.

"Because I didn't have or want another choice! I have a lifetime to consider and I did what I considered to be the best!" she spoke as she searched for the blue-haired woman.

"Betraying your friends is the best you could come up with?"

"No! But defending the future… my future is!" she answered and in the next moment she face the Ice Queen herself.

"Kunzite, you'll regret this! Even if you win this warm our memories will hunt you down in the last corner of the Universe."

"So I'll get a brainwash!" he simply stated and they started fighting once again, until Kunzite disappeared, fading into thin air.

"Zoi, look out!" Ami shouted while running to him, away from the changed Mina and wanting to warn him about the upcoming attack. He turned around and his chest met the sharp blade of the shitennou's sword. Falling back on the floor, on the other side of them room he saw his dear wife being murdered by the black-dressed woman. In a matter of seconds, Mina threw her love-chain around her neck, grabbing her tightly. The difference was that now the chain was made of black iron hearts, all surrounded by small spikes, that at the contact with the white neck opened and allowed the mercurian's blood to cover her chest and, soon, almost entire body.

"Ami!" Zoicite whispered still alive with his eyes widened and not giving a damn about their assassins anymore. In silence, the couple disappeared as fast as they had come. "Ami?" Zoicite spoke again, barely moving on the floor, crawling over to her body. When he reached her, she was as cold as ice and her beautiful blue eyes were staring into the void, contrasting with her pale skin and the dark long cloak that was covering it. "Ami… my sweet, kind and shy Ami…" he whispered when he reached her body and laid along with her. With a gesture he closed her eyes and felt the last bits of her warm lips. For the last time, he opened his eyes and spoke: "We started together and we ended together…"

The cave's walls started quaking, some even breaking and allowing the waters inside the planet to flow outside. "For as long as the waters will cover our grave I will love you and be one with you… forever." He said, took her inert body in his arms, allowing both of them to be sunk in the cold and fertile water, soon their bodies becoming one with the vital liquid and sealing once and for all the gates to Elysion.

* * *

At the far end of Cerber's Labyrinth was situated the doorway between the material world and Elysion, a kingdom formed of people's dreams from all over the Nine Planet System Alliance and guarded by Helios, the Golden Crystal keeper. Elysion was a representation of a perfect world, where both old and young could co-exist and do whatever they've always dreamt to. 

"What do you mean they've stayed behind?" King Endymion stared angrily at the light shitennou.

"Yes… apparently Ami's computer beat Rei's senses and picked up something coming down our way. So, they've decided to take care of it themselves." Jeadite spoke as he was prepairing himself to leave once again for the labyrinth.

"More deaths…" the king whispered while staring into nothingness. "And where do you think you are going?" he suddenly paid attention and followed the martian king on his way out.

"We still don't know anything about Kunzite and Mina and we have to make sure that the shadowsians won't find their way in here or manage to get inside Elysion."

"So you'll just sacrifice yourself!" the Earth king stopped his blonde friend in the middle of a hallway, forcing everyone near them to stare at the scene.

"Others… many others have done it before us and your safety, Serenity's and this entire world's is far more important right now than anything else… even my life." Jeadite spoke and left once again, this time not followed by Endymion anymore.

"Sere, would you stop crying?" Rei begged her friend and tried to escape the tight hug Serenity had been giving her for the past fifteen minutes.

"No! You are going to leave me alone and I don't want that!" the queen using the tone that Tsukino Usagi once had.

"You'll still have Endymion and Chibiusa!"

"But Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Makoto, Ami and Mina are gone… and now you want to leave me as well!" the queen spoke between tears, but stopped whining.

"Usagi-chan, they aren't gone! They each transformed into what they held mostly dear… they'll never be gone." The raven-haired beauty spoke comforting in a very unusual way. "Bah! Sere, take it this way… at least I'll transform into a Phoenix bird and we could see each other when all of this will be over!" she exclaimed appearing filled with energy. She had seen her husband already waiting for her and she managed to escape the queen's arms, going towards him in a hurry, grabbing his left arm and pulling him away, before the lunarian could react in any way. Barely when they left the Dreamworld in silence, Jeadite could see the tears within Rei's amethyst eyes. Smiling gently to her, he swung an arm around her body and they both found their way inside Cerber's Labyrinth together.

* * *

"Mina and Kunzite traitors… who would have guessed?" Tokaji asked and with a wave of his hand turned off the portal through which he and Setsuna had witnessed the deaths of Ami and Zoicite. 

"The message did not contain this information!" the plutonian woman spoke angry that she did not see this change of situation in time.

"Well… maybe they didn't really betrayed the Alliance… maybe there's still hope." He spoke and received a deadly glare from his wife.

"I would have known! Meanwhile, those two killed the leaders of Mercury and according to the Alliance's laws they will face the penalty of death… for high betrayal!" her voice echoed inside the space they were. Tokaji glanced at her curiously and wondered for the first time in years what were his wife's true reasons to incriminate the two Venusians with so much strength.

"Have you seen Tristan?" he suddenly changed the topic.

"No… but I do believe he is on Pluto with Tara." She stopped a bit and turned completely away from him, refusing to stare somewhere else that into the void. "Ever since Hotaru and Rubeus were killed he has been spending every free moment with her…" Coming next to her, he surrounded his arms around her and, resting his chin on her shoulder, he said:

"I know how difficult this is for you… I know you've always considered Hotaru as a sister or even a daughter… But think at the sacrifice they did and why they did it. As for Tara… I'm sure she is as strong as her mother… not to mention that with Tristan's help she'll become even stronger." Tokaji ended.

"We should probably call him up here! The children and out leaders have already reached Elysion. Tara and Tristan should be going there too. Beings the eldest they could help a lot."

"Alright then!" he said and smiled again, leaving his wife's side.

* * *

"I don't want to seem rude or unthinking, but my duty was to stand by my parent's side." A very defending Tara stood tall in front of the plutonian heir. "So, why Tristan Why did you save me?" 

"Because it wasn't your turn to die!" the young man said.

"My destiny is mine to decide!" she fought back.

"Your father practically ordered me to!"

"He was speaking with the mind of a dieing man who wants to place his most priceless goods in safety. You shouldn't have listened to him!" she said and her tears came back for a moment.

"And my heart said so!" Tristan revealed his final argument and Tara just looked at him with her eyes widened in surprise.

"You shouldn't think with your heart…" she whispered gently, unable and not wanting to stop her movement towards him.

"When it comes to you… it's hard not to." He closed up the space between them as she entered his warm embrace. Tristan barely took her completely in his arms, when a voice echoed inside his mind.

"Let the girl breath and get up here! You mother and I have to talk to you… You can bring Tara too…" his father's voice ended and the eighteen-year-old groaned in annoyance. He broke the kiss and took Tara's hand in his, opening a large space and time portal and pulling her inside it.

* * *

"It won't open!" Rei shouted loudly after having tried to open the doors from the other side of Cerber's Labyrinth. She backed away and allowed Jeadite to observe the closed entrance. She was getting ready to blow the doors with a huge fireball, when her husband stopped her with a gesture, while sticking his ear to the wooden surface and listening. 

"Jed, move away!" she said.

"Shh!" he hushed her and received an exasperating look. But his whole attention was turned to t he small, undistinguishable noises coming from the other side. He remained still, until the sound of a clear water splash could be clearly heard.

"Rei, don't!" he said and stopped her with a hand.

"We need to get on the other side. Get Zoi and Ami!"

"Zoi and Ami are dead… and the cave on the other side is filled with water. If we'd blown the doors up, we'd be dead in a matter of seconds." He explained and they both backed away.

"But of course… Their main attack consisted in the forces of water." A male voice spoke from behind. The martian royal turned around and received the surprise of their life: Endymion and Serenity were standing right behind them, both awfully calm and silent… especially Serenity.

"Rei-chan, you should have imagined that ever since we were locked inside, They both had done their job and have fulfilled their service by giving us the opportunity to escape." The martian eyed the blonde woman and stared at her, knowing that there was something wrong about the lunarian… very wrong. Visions flashed through her mind, proving her thoughts to be correct. Jeadite's hand on her arm woke her up and made her focused on the reality again.

"We should really get back to Elysion!" Endymion stated after a long moment of silence. The two lunarian and terran leaders started walking inside the labyrinth and Serenity clung to her husband's arm.

"Are you ok?" the blonde king stared at the brunette when the two completely disappeared from their sight. She looked up and saw worry and fear in his eyes. But, above everything, self-control.

"Yeah… Are you getting the feeling that Sere and Endy aren't… themselves?"

"Kind of… Why did they follow us? I thought both of them got the picture when we left Elysion.

"I don't think that those two are the ones we left back in Elysion…" Rei answered and walked to their companions, leaving a shocked Jeadite behind her.

* * *

"What did you call me for?" Tristan welcomed his parents directly. Setsuna stared at her son and she immediately saw Tara standing besides him, as if she was already his equal and companion for life. 

"I see that you're in a hurry… so I'll be short!" his father spoke on a mocking tone as he glared at him for using that sharp tone. The eighteen-year-old bowed his head, recognizing his mistake and apologizing for it.

"The leaders of Mercury died a few hours ago… and the martian royals are trapped inside Cerber's Labyrinth with two clones of Endymion and Serenity."

"Clones? Are you sure?" Tara made herself noticed. The elder plutonians shared a quick glance and then Setsuna spoke up:

"Yes… and we have reached to a conclusion, in case the shadowsians will reach within the next day Elysion: to send the children in the future.

"What?" Tristan's eyes widened in shock as his mind realised what damage this action could cause to the timeline.

"There must be some other way." Tara backed-up the young man's reaction.

"The message I received from the future allows me to believe that this situation has been changed in that time and that the world is once again safe. I cannot say the same thing about the present and these children are the heirs of the Nine Planet System Alliance. As long as they survive, the ancient powers will survive as well and order will be re-established once again. It is vital to put them to safety."

"Yes, but not in the future! Mother, you know what sending them in another time could cause! How can you even think of this?" Tristan fought back.

"Son, this is our decision, not an alternative to be discussed." Tokaji spoke harshly and watched his boy as he tried to accept his parents' words. Next to him, Rubeus' daughter held tightly his hand, proving that she was more than willing to stand by Tristan's side even in the darkest times. And now was just the perfect moment for her to do that, to prove her love and devotion.

* * *

They had wondered through the labyrinth for some time now and Jeadite was still working on how to get rid of the fake king and queen. 

"I forgot it!" Serenity stopped and whined. "I forgot where the entrance to Elysion is. How could I have been such a ditz?" she spoke up and stared at Rei with puppy eyes. On another occasion, the brunette would have called her names and make fun of her. This time, she could only stare silently at the blonde. "Can you show me where the door is Rei-chan?" the lunarian asked nicely. A cold shiver passed through Rei's entire body. They were now ion the middle of the Labyrinth and the queen would have known that, no matter how much of a ditz she was.

From the other side of the large hallway, the two men watched the scene carefully: one with a weird cold sparkle in his eyes and the other ready to react at any unusual movement.

"Why can't you remember, Sere?" Rei finally asked with a sore throat.

"Rei-chan… you know how I am in such moments!"

"And how would that be?" Jeadite played his wife's game.

"A blonde ditz!" Endymion answered nonchalantly and laughed.

"Got you!" the brunette martian said determined. "Endymion would have never ever called his wife that."

"Who are you?" her husband's voice filled strongly the air. Changing their face expressions, the two stared at them and the fake Sere spoke on an inhuman tone:

"You should have tagged along!"

"Too bad… you could have been so useful!" Endymion said and they both vanished, turning smoke and then air.

In a matter of moments, the whole ground started quaking and holes appeared into the ground and walls, as if someone would have added extra heat to the Earth's core. Realising that they were about to be separated by lava, Rei left out a shout that pierced through the air and managed to rise up above the shakes' dreadful noise. Having heard her, Jeadite ran to her location, but couldn't reach her, the two being surrounded by walls of hard lava.

"Jed!" the martian queen screamed.

"Get back, Rei!" a voice filled her mind. She recognized the tone and obeyed. Almost immediately, a huge flame melt the wall between the two and the martian leader could see each other once again. They were starting to run for each other, when something pinned their feet to the ground. Leaning further, they tried to touch each other's hands, but found that they couldn't. Step by step, in a few minutes, they were covered with melt crystals and metals. It didn't burn them, but it did cover them completely and blocked all possible movements, use of powers or even consciousness. It was when t he crystals reached to her neck that Rei looked up to her husband one last time, just in time to see him staring with worry and love at her the last time before closing his eyes forever. No sound escaped her lips, but, as she accepted her destiny and stopped fussing, thus allowing the material cover her entirely, her eyes shed a single tear for her loved one. And that tear was preserved perfectly along with the two martians' bodies. Soon, the rest of Cerber's Labyrinth was drowned in ground and lava, along with the two leaders and the gateways to Elysion.

* * *

"It's over…" Tristan whispered harshly as he stared into nothingness and held tightly Tara's hand. 

"The children must go into the future."

"They are the heirs of the Nine Planet System Alliance! They have to be present to this, gain their trust and powers and start with their responsibilities." Tara started decisively without her hand ever leaving Tristan's.

"They will be protected in the future; they will reach a time of peace again." Setsuna explained.

"Tara is right, mother."

"Astrid is three and a half and Krystal sixteen. You two are the only ones still capable of leadership, considering the painful circumstances. The others are either too young or still destroyed morally. All the children believe that if Ankhra has managed to kill their parents, they will mean less than nothing." Tokaji explained calmly and gazed at the two. He had already started to develop paternal feelings for Rubeus' daughter. It was amazing the power his son and Tara had gathered in these moments, only by remaining close together. He could clearly see the aura surrounding them and notice the strength the saturnian gave his son when she was next to him. One day they would make a beautiful and strong couple. But now they remained two teenagers with hidden and at least unusual powers and who carried feelings for each other.

"I know… But sending them away might affect them in the future, When they'll grow up then could start considering running away the best way to solve their problems." Tara explained herself.

"I know and that is a risk we have to take." Setsuna both agreed and disagreed with the girl.

"Pandora!" Tokaji named the saturnian by using the name her fathers had always used for her. "I have to ask you this considering your status and responsibilities.

"Yes?"

"Once the children will take the path of time, they will lose their memories. Once having reached that period they won't be able to remember anything, at least for the time being." He paused a moment, allowing her to understand what he meant. "Still, you wouldn't lose all your past, if you were to follow them. Being one of the oldest you could also guide and protect them…"

"You are asking me to leave my time and lead the young heirs into their future." Tara concluded and the plutonian king nodded silently. She felt the sudden hard cling of Tristan's hand and she looked up to see a pair of lavender eyes she simply adored, filled with love and worry for her life. That was the moment when the young saturnian understood her mission. Staring up at her beloved prince, she smiled decisively and spoke with a determined voice:

"Send us into the future, Sire!" Both the tone and the answer having surprised the two adult. Tokaji glanced at Setsuna and nodded.

"Then so shall it be!" the plutonian announced definitely and grabbed the time key, preparing a portal large enough to fit all the senshi's and shitennou's children inside and send them onto a brighter life.

* * *

"Mommy, mommy what's wrong?" a small child with pink hair wrapped up in two large odangos came up running next to Queen Serenity. 

"The time has come, Usagi." The queen spoke with a whispered voice. She was laying on a large bed and had flowers grown all around her body. Next to her, on the other side of the bed stood Endymion, staring into the horizon.

"Time for what, mommy?" the princess asked again.

"Time for Elysion to start creating it's own dream world. The city of Crystal Tokyo has fallen asleep. And once with it… so shall we."

"Mommy, don't leave me!" she begged and jumped on the bed, embracing both of her parents.

"Don't worry, Usagi." The king spoke softly as he caressed his daughter one last time. "It is time to go, my little bunny." Endymion spoke as he retreated his arms from around his small child.

"But daddy!" she started, wanting to remain there.

"Don't forget… to be strong… Chibi-usa…" her mother whispered, smiled to her one final time and laid back, next to her husband, falling into what it seemed an eternal sleep.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the pink-haired princess shouted.

"Chibi-usa. You must go now." A warm voice was heard next to the bed. The child turned around and saw the Guardian of Elysion, Helios.

"Helios! I don't want to be alone!" she cried as she jumped into the white-haired teenager's arms. He smiled sweetly and held her silently for a moment.

"My little girl… Don't cry! You'll never remain alone." He said and she looked up at his eyes, Hope filled her red orbs.

"Listen to him, Usagi!" another young voice was heard and, behind Helios, the inner senshi'd daughters came up next to them. The one who had spoken was Rhy, the future martian queen. Next to her stood Momoko, who was predictably going to grow up as tall as her mother and who held protectively little Amelie's hand. The mercurian princess was the youngest, even younger that Usagi, but already held the pleasure of studying and, partly, the intelligence of both her parents. Whipping her tears, Chibi-usa left Helios' protective arms and approached her best friends. The four embraced each other, until Momoko almost pulled all of them after her, mumbling:

"Come on already! They're waiting for us!"

Few minutes later, the inner princesses reached the rest of the group, formed only by the heirs of the Nine Planet System Alliance. All of them were there… except Maya and Malachite.

* * *

A huge dark portal. They had passed through such a tunnel and ended up in the palace atemporal palace belonging to the Time Guardians. Malachite had oftenly heard of this place, sometimes even from Tristan, and was now finally seeing it himself. 

It looked like the insight of a hall with tall columns that seemed holding up the sky itself and was paved with black and white pieces of marble, thus creating a huge chess board.

Malachite stood tall in one of the corners, holding his sister's back with one hand. She was clinging onto his right leg and trousers, shivering and still scared of what their parents had done, only imagining what could have happened to them.

"Welcome, heir of Venus!" Tara suddenly appeared by stepping out from another dark corner. She had greeted them with security in her voice and determination in her eyes.

"Princess Tara!" Malachite slightly bowed, never letting go of Maya. He looked at the saturnian better and could see that her left hand was turned behind, holding something or someone that was still hidden in the dark.

"Malachite, are such formalities truly necessary?" she asked and he responded.

"I'm sure you know of our parents' betrayal." A long silence fell between them. "Why have you brought us here?"

"Because you powers and lives need to survive in order to restore peace and leadership once again." A male voice filled the void and the Venusians could see who Tara's hand was holding: Tristan's fingers. The prince dressed in the long robe stepped out in the light. Malachite would've thought that the plutonian's eyes would be filled with anger, disappointment and hatred. But, instead, those lavender eyes carried forgiveness, friendship and determination, same as Tara's.

"Why us? The venusian leaders betrayed the Alliance! Why would you need us for?" the silver-haired boy asked and grabbed Maya's small body entirely in his arms, holding the scared little girl protectively.

"Sailor Venus was the Inner Senshi's leader. General Kunzite was the same for the the Light Shitennou. You two remain the same, in spite of what they had done. That… and the fact that… before killing the mercurian's, Queen Ami led us to believe that their betrayal wasn't complete… that they had remained a part of us."

"Mercurians?" Malachite whispered with widened eyes.

"Amelie!" Maya shouted and his her face in her brother's neck, crying for her dear blue-haired friend.

"We have to know if you are capable of the sacrifices that are to follow. If you will be able to fight." Tara spoke up and again walked in front of Tristan, her hand never leaving his.

"Will the other accept us?" Malachite asked as he tried to comfort Maya and stop her from shedding so many tears. Suddenly, he felt a short hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, he received the surprise of his life: all the senshi's and shitennou's children stood in front of them and the hand belonged to Zander, Zoicite's oldest son.

"It wasn't your fault. They did what they did, but you two remain the same: our friends." He spoke with a saddened voice. "But you two are a future senshi and shitennou… so you belong with us." He ended determined and pointed at the others. They had all consensed to his decision. Malachite allowed Maya to jump from his arms and run to Amelie, embracing her and apologizing over and over again. Slowly, he stepped towards his friends and was welcomed by Opal and Onix's opened arms.

"Well, now that we cleared that, follow me." Tristan commanded with a thin smile. He turned around and pulled Tara after him. Few minutes later they were on the other side of this room, in front of a large time portal. One ach side of the hole stood the king and queen of Pluto. Tokaji looked back at the, while Setsuna had her eyes closed. You could easily see that she was focused on the portal and she held tightly the Garnet Rod. In front of them a huge gap in space and time was being created… one large enough to lead them all into the future.

* * *

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" 

"Are you sure you want me to let you do this?"

"Tristan!"

"Tara!" he mocked her tone while keeping his arms tightly around her waist and drowning himself into her blue eyes.

"Don't tease me! I don't want our last words to sound like these…" she pleaded and looked away from his lavender orbs.

"These won't be our last words." He promised and sealed his whisper with a kiss, gently laid on her cheek. She returned fastly, to see his eyes again, and smiled, faintly blushing. Normally he wouldn't have, but right now he couldn't help but notice that her blush matched perfectly the purple highlights adorning her red hair. She was beautiful, she was strong and she was going to be his… all his… sometimes in the future. He had seen that and he was ready to do everything in order for them to reach that moment in time.

"It is time!" his father's voice woke both of them from their daydreaming. The children nodded and prepared themselves to be taken inside the portal. Step by step, all pf them faded into their powers' and stones' coloured and went into the hole: the firsts were Krystal, Opal, Onix, Topaz, Coral, who held his sister's hand, Malachite with Celeste, who was held by Amara, Nathaniel, Jaden, Zander, Nicholas, Noah, Zane, Lithany with Astrid and Rhyana with Chibi-Usa.

"I'll see you soon, my love…" Tara whispered as she reached Tristan's lips and kissed them one last time. Wrapping his arms around her, the plutonian prince felt as if he never wanted to let go, but opened his eyes as soon as he felt the one he loved being disintegrated into a lovely game of purple and reddish lights. His arms fell down and he clutched his teeth and fists in anger for the first time since the new danger started threatening the Alliance. It was barely now that he carried the powerful bite of anger and jealousy. Tara would soon be meeting an older version of himself, while he was stuck in there… five seconds since she had passed the Time Gate and he already missed her like hell.

But, suddenly, a shock wave passed through him, his parents and the entire atemporal palace.

"Tara!" he shouted as the portal changed dramatically and collapsed one second later.

"Setsuna!" he heard his father from behind and turned, only to see his mother fallen on the floor. But, thankfully, she returned to normal several moments later.

"I'm alright!" she said determined not to accept her husband or son's help. Still, she couldn't deny Tokaji's arm around her waist.

"What happened?" the King asked while he held the plutonian queen, trying to help her stand on her own.

"The portal collapsed! Due to that shock wave the tunnel's trajectory changed. The children did not reach the timeline they were supposed to." Tristan spoke as he stared at the closed gate.

"The Alliance's heirs!" Setsuna cried out and left Tokaji's protective arm.

"Tara…" Tristan whispered, as if only for himself.

"Ankhra!" his father's voice spoke with anger and wrath. The other two turned to him and saw that his grey darkened eyes were staring at a point, somewhere in the air, right above him. Step by step, the point materialized and started growing until it formed a dark ball on energy… the same thing that Rubeus and Hotaru had once seen.

Setsuna felt that the energy in front of them was indeed the source of the time change and clung her fingers into her son's shoulders. When she didn't get a reaction from him, she gazed at his features and felt her blood freezing in her veins: Tristan was staring at the black sphere with a deadly and powerful glare, which seemed even more dangerous and inhuman than his father's.

Before the entity inside the energy ball made itself present, somewhere between Tokaji and itself appeared a tall table, carrying an ancient game of runes. Next to the board stood tall and motionless, as a rock, the former venusian king… Kunzite. He wore a dark version of his fighting armour, which accentuated his height and muscled body. From her seat, Setsuna could clearly see that, in spite of the black hair ending with silvery strands, his eyes had remained lavender shaded. So, after all, he really hadn't switched sides… at least not completely… yet.

"Shatem!" an inhuman voice started from inside the sphere. "We haven't seen each other for a long time now… brother." For a moment, Setsuna's eyes widened in shock: not even she had foreseen that change. Having understood who the voice was speaking with, she realised for the first time who was the man she had married… her son's father. Glancing again at Tristan, she finally deciphered the signs on his forehead and temples and understood where his unusual powers came from.

Suddenly, from within the sphere, a tall man appeared. He was as tall as Tokaji and had the same white white hair, only he carried it long, down his back and reaching his feet. However, his face features did not resemble the ones belonging to the man it had named "brother", but of his son. The stranger and Tristan were almost identical: both dressed in black robes and both having the same visible tattoos.

"Indeed we haven't!" Tokaji responded. "And I would have liked it better if that time had been even longer." He ended, approached the table and started the game, by moving the first rune.

"Oh, you harm me!" the white-haired man complained mockingly and made a move of his own on the board. After leaving the rune, he walked slowly to the place where Setsuna and Tristan still stood. The plutonian queen held her Garnet Rod proudly, while her son carried the same disgusted look as his father. The stranger came right her no Setsuna and traced her face with two fingers, as if wanting to understand her true nature and read her thoughts.

"My name is Al-Shamran… or Shadow…" he whispered while smelling her hair and making her feel as if she was some kind of trophy or present. After finishing his analysis, Shadow turned to his brother and spoke up. "Maybe your betrayal was worth it…" After throwing him an evil smirk, the new arrived stared at Tristan and focused on him intensely.

Whispers, thoughts, flashes and intense memories filled the prince's mind. That moment, the teenager glared directly into the demon's eyes. Pains, shouts and deaths followed, but the lavender orbs remained stuck into the black hollow holes, which served Shadow as eyes. More intolerable emotions and pictures entered his mind. Tristan should have reached by now the moment of maximum pain, he should have been on the floor, screaming for his life, begging for mercy. And still, after all those tests, he remained the same: determined to pass his private exam and prove himself a worthy part of Ankhra.

The link between the two was cut suddenly when the half-plutonian heir managed to block his mind away from the stranger's and backfired his last mental attack. Blinking, looking away and then returning to the teenager, Shadow spoke with both surprise and pride.

"He is one of us!" The he went to the table once again and moved another piece. "This is the last test, brother…" the long haired man said in another language that did not sound familiar to Setsuna, but seemed to be clearly enough understood by both father and son. "Don't screw up!" he warned Tokaji and waited patiently for the last but one move. Tokaji took his time and placed the rune. Almost immediately, Shadow smiled, made the ending move and, grinning widely and maliciously, rose and arm in the air, just before the king could disappear, trying to join his family.

A moment later, he rematerialized right in front of Setsuna, but, when he wanted to touch her, an invisible wall stopped his movement.

"Game over, brother!" Shadow shouted from behind him, as the King of Time stared at his Queen with guiltiness and pain imprinted on his face. He had placed a hand onto the wall, waiting for her reaction. In response, she smiled sadly, yet stubbornly, making him understand that neither her nor Tristan would give up and so, he shouldn't either. She rose her right palm and supported it by the wall, exactly where he had his hand, but on the other side.

* * *

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	3. First Encounter

Hey again! For the first time in quite a few months, here it is! The third chappie! Enjoy!

We don't own Sailor Moon!

* * *

_FIRST ENCOUNTER: MINA and CELESTE (Maya)_

"Moshi, Moshi!"

"Hey, Mina! It's Serena. We're meeting in an hour at Rei's temple. I have something to tell you all. Can you make it?"

"Well, let's see: my shift here, at "Blue Moon", finishes in 20 minutes; it'll take me 10 to change and that leaves me half an hour to get there... Yeah, Rena, I think I can be there!"

"Great, Mina! We'll be waiting for you so, please, don't be late!"

"Ok! Ok! I got it!"

"Arigato, Mina! See'ya soon."

"Bye, Rena!"

* * *

Of course, Mina's shift ended half an hour later, because of some no-good old street army captain, who thought he could have his way with her, after having a "little" too much to drink.

Just because she was dressed in a tight and very short black skirt and only a black bra (club's "uniform") that didn't mean that she was a hooker. Just because most of the girls who "danced" there offered "special services" too, it didn't mean that she would too.

Even in the state Japan and half of the world were, with wars and military dictature- all pure chaos- wasn't going to make her sell her body... No way! She survived without doing it for 17 years- and Kami knows that it was a very hard time for her- but she survived her parent's death, her moving back to Japan, the orphanage, the school, the streets...and all of the things a young and alone girl faced in this sick "world order", So she wasn't going to let that so-called "people's protector" make her less than she was and step on her dignity...And she showed him some tricks of her own.

Mina smiled brightly and jumped on his lap moving in a sensual manner; she then touched him lightly on his face, on his shoulders, she got to his chest and slowly down to his manhood...she touched it carefully, drawing circles with her fingers, making him moan… the atmosphere was hot and then...CRACK! Mina squeezed hard his "precious" making him cry out in pain and then she slowly approached his ear and whispered something that only made him nod. She sat up from his lap, retrieved the empty glasses and wished a good night to the "gentleman" who, in return, smiled forcefully through his teeth whispering "Bitch!".

'That was fun', she thought while getting dressed in order to get on time at Rei's temple. 'It teaches him to take advantage of every woman!'

So she got dressed in her jeans, white T-shirt, black leather jacket and shoes and headed towards what was left of that area's park. The sky was grey - 'as always!'- and people wore their usual sad faces. It looked like Mina was the only one smiling...smiling at everyone and everything. Some of them looked suspiciously at her, for it was odd indeed, because no one ever smiled anymore...they didn't really have a reason to do so.

But she did! LIFE was something to be grateful for and you had to live it with a smile on your face, even in the worst moments; 'With your smile, you hide all the pain inside, and you make the others forget about theirs' for a while!' - that was what her mother told her when she was a little girl, so Mina wore a smile every time, for herself...and for the others.

She figured that she had at least 25 minutes to get to Rei's on time, so she decided to spare 5 minutes and visit the old deserted park.

She liked the park even if the remaining trees didn't have leafs anymore and the lake was more of a "mud hole"... sometimes one could almost hear a bird trilling- or was it just her imagination?

She decided to sit on a bench near the "lake" and then, closing her eyes, she listened to everything surrounding her: the wind that moved the leafless branches, the insects busying themselves with work, the distant rumble of the streets...

After concentrating a bit more, she heard faintly something like a silent sobbing. She concentrated on the direction from where the noise was coming and found its place under a large oak-tree; the same tree where she always sits on a "picnic-day" with her friends.

She got up and walked slowly to the tree, not wanting to scare the person there. When she came close, she saw something that made her heart break: sitting under the oak-tree was a little girl - she couldn't have been older than a six-year old, with her clothes torn and bruises all over her face and body. The pair of dirty white trousers and yellow shirt were ripped mostly and showed all of her bleeding wounds.

While she got closer, Mina could see that the child had long silver hair with many golden highlights, but the face was shielded by her hands. The scene made her remember something from her childhood, after her mother's death, when she was only four. A flash of images invaded her brain...Pain!...crying nights in a dark room and an empty bed...Pain!... running through dark streets and crying her mother's name...Pain!... a fat and ugly woman dressed in a grey uniform yelling at her and cutting her golden hair...Pain and again pain!

Soon, the memory flash ended and she found herself kneeling in front of the little girl, slowly touching her head.

"Hello, honey! What are you doing here at this hour?", Mina asked with a soft voice.

The little girl instantly stopped crying and lifted her small head to see Mina. The child had the most stunning sky-blue eyes Mina had ever seen, but they were teary and sad. For a while the two just looked at each other, but suddenly the little girl asked on a fearful, yet hoping tone: "MOMMY?"

Her heart broke hearing the child's question and her eyes got watery, but instead of crying, Mina hugged the little girl as tight as she could.

"No, honey! I'm not your mother… I'm sorry... But tell me, what's your name?"

Still hugging Mina, the child answered that her name was Maya and then she began sobbing even harder than before.

* * *

The alarm bell was heard, signalling that it was 10 o'clock: patrol time! The law stated that after 10 PM no citizen of Tokyo, without a special permit for emergencies or work, could walk or stay on the streets. But these days, rules were even stricter because of the rumour that the "Rebellion" had its headquarters right in the capital-city. Lots of new troops and highly trained soldiers were sent to search Tokyo and find the Rebellion's hideout, in order to stop it from achieving its goal: Tokyo's, and afterwards Japan's, freedom!

Even though the alarm was loud enough, Mina didn't hear it because she was too concentrated on the sleeping form in her arms. She was too concentrated on whispering soothing words and singing her favourite song: "Angel"

_" In the arms of the angel,_

_Fly away from here..._

_From this dark, cold hotel room_

_And the endlessness that you feel._

_You were torn from the racket_

_Of your silent reverie..._

_You're in the arms of the angel…_

_May you find… some comfort… here..."_

She didn't remember the song's author; she only heard it once, a long time ago when she was in England with her mother, but she remembered it clearly. "Angel" became her favourite song; it always made her smile bittersweet whenever she would be sad, happy or simply bored. It also reminded Mina that no matter how bad life seemed to be at one moment, there would always be someone out there (maybe an Angel) who will, someday, take all her pain away.

And that was exactly what she wanted to do at the moment: take away all the pain the child felt, comfort her somehow...!

* * *

She was brought back to reality by the loud noise and the sound of footsteps coming their way. That was when she remembered to check her watch: 10:30 PM! 'Oh, Kami-sama!' - she hadn't realised it was so late. In a flash she took off her jacket and covered little Maya with it, while getting up and wanting to hurry home before any of the military guards found them. She could be accused of many things like spying or rebellion against the government.

Luck wasn't on her side tonight because, just when she was a few steps away form the park's exit, a loud voice yelled at her to stop. Three guards showed up in front of her, but the bad thing was that one of them was exactly the "gentleman" from earlier, at "Blue Moon"! This was bad. Very BAD!

"Identify yourself!" barked the one on the right.

"There's no need!" cut the one in the middle. "I know this bitch! She's the one from that strip-club earlier, who thought herself to good for me. And what do we have here?" he continued cruelly looking at the jacket covered form in Mina's arms.

"She's my daughter!... Let her go, she has nothing to do with this!" jumped Mina defiantly, while holding Maya tighter.

"Damn' right it's not her fault! Not her fault for having such a mother, a whore of a mother..! But, then again, it doesn't matter to us." he answered while laughing, eyes shinning maliciously. "You know…" he continued after a little pause, slowly approaching her. "People at the club say you don't fuck for money. Hahahah! So maybe you do it for free, right?" He finally reached Mina, dug his hand in her golden hair and pulled her to him. " It would have been wise to suck only me earlier at the club, because now there's three of us... and you're not going to leave before each one of us gets his share!", he whispered in her ear and then started to laugh.

"As for your daughter here...I'm sure she'll find her way home. If not, the wolf-dogs will be delighted to help her! Hahahah!"

* * *

In the shadow of another large tree in the park, sat a lone, dark figure. The only way one could have seen him was by the way the Moon's rays shone through his hair, reflecting only silver tones. He saw the whole scene in the park and he was absolutely mad with rage. It was true that Dark Kingdom's troops weren't known as being ethical, but he didn't imagine they were this low.

Their whole purpose was to ensure safety and security in Tokyo and to stop the growing Rebellion by using all the necessary means. They were supposed to control citizen's activity on a certain level, not to abuse them. It was clear to him that these new recruits weren't taught to respect in order to be respected. They weren't fit to be part of HIS troop. No way in Hell! His men were guided by a set of unwritten rules, ethical and authorial rules, and the ones who didn't follow by it...He personally dealt with them!

* * *

The guard couldn't move; it all happened in a flash and the three of them felt still as a rock. Even breathing was hard for them. The middle guard, the one who threatened Mina, collapsed on his knees and started chocking from the lack of air. It was like some unknown force was strangling him, but there was nobody except for them.

In an instant, Mina felt the change in the air and chills began creeping up her spine. Slowly turning around, she saw a big, cloaked figure hovering over her. She found that she only reached to his upper chest, so she rose her eyes to the place where a face should have been. Because of the hood, Mina couldn't see his face, instead she found a pair of intense lavender eyes, shinning brightly in the dark.

"My Lord...please...!" begged one of the guards from the ground, but the figure's eyes began to shine brighter and, after almost 30 seconds, all three guards vanished into thin air.

Mina was starting to feel a little threatened by the figure and the recent vanishing scene. Almost like sensing her fear, Maya woke up...

"Mina?!..." asked a sleepy Maya, but her question was immediately cut off by Mina.

"Yes, honey. Mommy's here... don't worry. We'll get home soon."

"Mommy?!!" the child asked in astonishment and tried to raise her head from Mina's chest to the silent dark figure.

"You shouldn't be here at this hour!" started the mysterious man to speak. "Especially with a child. Streets aren't safe at night and only a fool or a mad man would dare to break the law…" his voice was cold, devoid of any emotions, but Mina's indignant tone cut him off:

"I know the law! Everybody does...because you do so well on reminding us every time, through any method!..." she seethed in rage.

For a moment the air got so heavy, that it was hard to breathe at all. She realised the danger and immediately began explaining in a more polite manner:

"It's just that my daughter, Maya, wanted to go for a walk in the park...We began playing hide-and-seek and we lost track of time. I don't believe it is a sin for a child to want to play…ne?!"

Noticing her change of tone, but also the bruises on the child, the dark figure asked coldly:

"And why does your daughter have so many bruises?!"

Mina stared right into his eyes, defiantly but, in her mind, praying to Kami-sama for help:

"We played a lot and Maya fell often, thus gaining these bruises. Now, if you'll excuse me -my Lord-…", she continued angry while trying to get away from him. But, to her surprise, her body wouldn't move, she felt like she was being forced by an unknown force to stay still.

"If I EVER catch you on the streets at this hour..." the figure threatened in hidden anger, "especially with your daughter...You alone WILL suffer the consequences! Is that clear?!"

"Crystal clear…-my Lord-!...", she answered gritting her teeth and forcing herself to stay calm.

In a flash, without Mina's realisation, the mysterious figure vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. Vanished into thin air, just like the three guards...

* * *

But the figure reappeared from where he had seen the earlier scene, and he wasn't alone either. Another dark figure, just a little shorter than the first one was right under the old tree.

"These human guards can really be annoying sometimes…Want me to take care of them?" the new figure asked in fake seriousness.

"You will be gentle, won't you, Jeadite?" the other one asked in the same manner, but a bit colder.

"Why, Kunz...you hurt my feelings! Haven't I always been gentle?" was the second one's answer.

The air got all heavy again and a cold wind started to blow hard, thus forming a little tornado. In the middle of the tornado appeared a third form, looking like a human for an untrained eye. But the other two knew better and they were barely surprised to see their companion, one of DK's generals. The third general was dressed in the grey military suit with deep blue trimmings and white gloves. He had deep leaf-green eyes and curly long dirty-blonde hair. His expression was a combination of shock and deep rage; while looking at his two companions he began desperately:

"She beat me at chess!..."

It sounded more like a tragedy or a declaration of war, and his voice got strangely whinny as he continued:

"Can you all believe it?!.. The nerve of that little... And she wasn't even half as prettier as I am!!!!", he finished indignated.

"Now, now, Zoi... I know that truth hurts, but… now you have the proof that you're just plain...stupid!"

Jeadite couldn't hold his tongue longer after Zoicite explained them the incident down at the Public Library, where a young girl had beat him - the "Master of Chess". Imagine the general's the first reaction - shock! He couldn't believe his eyes when she whispered the fatal words: "Chess mate!". Honestly speaking, they all knew that Zoicite was the best strategist DK had. He had always invented the best plans for the army, after a thorough analyse and all sorts of calculations. It was indeed a surprise that a mere human woman had beaten him at his own game. To their knowledge, not even Sapphire had managed to do so, even if he had been very close.

" She looked like a bookworm…" Zoicite continued, not bothering to answer Jadeite's statement. "Totally unattractive, totally unfeminine. Why that, that little... If I meet her again I'll...I'll…"

"Give her a prize!?" offered Jeadite with a grin. But the curly general couldn't take it anymore and began shouting in anger.

"I'm the most intelligent being in this group of primates!..". But the sudden death glare he received from Kunzite made him add quickly: "Except for our fearless leader, our prime general…"

"Cut it, Zoicite! Calm down. We have better things to stress about." the prime general ordered.

"Yeah, Zoi! Just go eat a banana... It always calms you when you realise that... well... you're just plain stupid!"

"I'm going to hurt you so BAD, "Jeddy"..." Zoicite reddened in rage and almost managed to cut the nose of the still laughing Jeadite.

In the whole ordeal, they didn't notice the fourth figure's appearance, until it spoke the fatal words:

"Can you feel it, my fellow companions? Change!... It's coming again…"

* * *

She got home half an hour later with a half awake Maya in her arms. It got cold outside, the wind was howling hard and little Maya shook like a leaf because Mina's jacket wasn't enough to warm her chilling body.

Seeing her like that, Mina decided she would prepare a hot bath immediately. She laid the child on a fluffy couch and covered her with a warm blanket. Then she went to her closet and started searching for clean towels and some clothes for Maya. She found only a small blue T-shirt, a memory from her childhood. It was actually a cute T-shirt with a sleeping little white cat on it.

After she filled the tub with hot water and put some bath soap in it, she went into the living room to get Maya. But the little one was already sleeping so peaceful, looking like a small angel. For a couple of minutes Mina just looked at the child, contemplating her and remembering herself; remembering a young Mina, just as helpless and sad as little Maya... just as alone and frightened. Another flashback invaded her mind, a combination of her dark childhood and a bright adulthood; the faces of her friends and how she met each of them... all the people she loved so much… the people that took care of her and brightened her life. She decided then that she will do the same to Maya; she'll take care of her, raise her like her own child, love her and show her the true beauty of life and love. Now that Serena was almost on her own two feet, and the others were helping her too, she will have time for the sleeping child.

Mina kneeled slowly at Maya's side and gingerly kissed her hair but, unfortunately, the little girl woke up. She turned to Mina and offered her a small smile asking:

"Are you my mommy now, Mina?"

"Until we find your parents, honey, I'm going to take care of you and love you just like a real mother." Mina answered warmly and offered her own smile in return.

"That means I can call you mommy anytime?"

"Yes, dear. You can call me mommy anytime and anywhere. Come now, let's go to the bathroom. I've prepared you a hot bath. You'll like it." Mina continued with a smile and proceeded to undress Maya from her ragged clothes. Doing this she saw better the bruises and cuts on her body… and it made her mad and sad at the same time.

The water wasn't very hot, but Maya was beginning to fell warm again. After they seated themselves comfy in the tub: Mina, with her back supported by the tub, and Maya in her arms, they relaxed for a while. But the silence was soon interrupted by Mina's curiosity:

"Tell me about yourself, sweetie."

"What do you want to know, mommy?"

"First of all: your full name."

"I don't know, mommy. My friends only call me Maya and I don't remember much of anything else." the child answered calmly.

"Your friends, honey?!… Who are they? Where are they?..."

At this question, Maya raised her head from Mina's chest and looked at her straight in the eyes, as if searching for something... for a sign that it was indeed all right to tell her. And she found it because she started telling Mina about her friends:

"They're the girls from the orphanage. We were brought in the same day. The orphanage attendant said that they found us on the streets unconscious..." she smiled sadly at that, but continued. "They're my best friends. Amely and Rhy are smaller than me, but Momoko has the same age, but she's just taller and seems more mature..."

The story continued with Maya telling about the things she did with the other girls, the mean caretakers, the bad food and how they tried to escape.

"That night we woke up after everyone fell asleep, we rushed to the backyard and we started climbing the high fence. I was the first to climb it and Momoko helped me a lot. Then it was her turn and I helped her up. But when Rhy and Amely tried to climb, the alarm went off. We told them to hurry up, but it was too late. They've already taken out the dogs... so Rhy told us to leave and save ourselves... She promised we'll meet again… So we ran, but it was useless, the dogs were tracing us. That's when Momoko said we should split up; that maybe we have a better chance like that… She hugged me tight and I didn't want to let go... but she did. And I ran… I don't know how long... but I ran fast… and found that park... I left them behind, mommy."

Maya's voice was calm, but her eyes told Mina everything: she was blaming herself for leaving her friends. Surprisingly, the little girl didn't begin to cry, she just hugged Mina and buried her head in Mina's neck.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We'll find your friends and we'll get them out of there. I promise!" Mina tried, after minutes of silence, to comfort Maya.

Maya raised her head from Mina's neck and smiled while asking:

"Promise, mommy?"

"Promise, sweetie!"

After the bath, Mina dried Maya's hair and dressed her into clean clothes of her own, promising that tomorrow she'll buy her some clothes fit for her age. After that, she went into the bathroom again and started cleaning the mess the two of them made while fighting with soap bubbles. When she finished and came into the living room, Maya was again asleep on the couch. She still looked like an angel, but cleaner and almost happier.

Mina took the child in her room and tucked both of them in bed. They had a busy day tomorrow, especially with the part of explanations that she'll have to give to her friends. But tomorrow seemed so far tonight, and Mina took Maya in her arms whispering slowly:

"Good Night, honey!"

"...G'Night, mommy!"

* * *

Some parts might seem a bit strange, but we promise to explain it all in the future chapters. Until then, R&R please ;)


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